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Critter Care: Help eliminate unwanted pets

By Becky Washburn

For the Ruidoso News

Posted:
02/24/2014 04:11:10 PM MST

Every year thousands and thousands of unwanted dogs and cats end up in animal shelters, humane societies, or at animal rescues.

Unfortunately many are euthanized because there are not enough people willing or able to adopt them. Public awareness and education is an essential part of the process in addressing this very heartbreaking problem. The most important thing that needs to be done seems so simple and yet it is so hard to convince some individuals to do and that is to spay and neuter their pets. Feb. 25 has been labeled as the National Spay/Neuter Day in an attempt to increase the number of pets being spayed and neutered and to educate the pet owners.\

A pet owner should spay or neuter their pet not only to help decrease the number of unwanted pets, but also for the health of their pet. It has been proven that spayed and neutered pets have a longer lifespan.

Neutering is the surgical removal of the testicles from a male dog or cat. Neutering helps reduce many undesirable behaviors such as wandering, aggressiveness, and urine marking. Neutering eliminates the chance of developing testicular cancer and reduces the occurrence of prostate problems. Animals can be neutered as young as eight weeks, I usually recommend the owner have their pet neutered between three and six months depending upon the individual animal.

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Spaying is the surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus from female dogs and cats. Spaying eliminates the risk of ovarian or uterine cancer in female animals. It also removes the chance of the animal developing a pyometra, which is a dangerous and often deadly infection of the uterus.

I also recommend spaying between three and six months depending on the individual animal, but definitely before the first heat cycle.

Please help join in the effort to educate the public and the youth so that together we can begin reducing the number of unwanted pets. There are numerous different programs that might be available to you if you need financial assistance in getting your pet spayed or neutered.